Nearly 700 Hawaii Pacific University students will be recognized at the university’s 82nd commencement Thursday night.

The ceremony takes place from 5-7 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. The spring 2014 class will receive degrees from more than 50 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs.

Traffic is expected to be busy in the area.

Those who attended the HPU graduation say traffic is hard to avoid.

“There’s not really much you can do. There aren’t a whole lot of roundabout ways you can get around here. It’s not like the mainland where have all those side streets and easy access roads to freeways and stuff soIi mean you have to bide your time pretty much,” Oahu resident Daphne Fox said.

Drivers are also being advised of heavy traffic leading to and from the University of Hawaii at Manoa this Saturday.

Two spring commencement ceremonies will take place at the Stan Sheriff Center that day. The undergraduate ceremony will be held from 9 a.m.-noon and the advanced degree ceremony will be held from 3-5 p.m.

There are approximately 1,500 candidates for bachelor’s degrees and 600 advanced degree candidates.

Residents of student housing halls and apartments will also be moving out Saturday from 7 a.m.-noon. Parking in the student housing area will be reserved for students checking out and nearby parking will not be open to general graduation traffic or parking.

The access road to Lower Campus will be open for one-way exit through the Waialae Avenue gate/kiosk.

Due to anticipated traffic congestion, drivers are advised to approach the campus with caution and arrive early to avoid delays.